Roscommon register second win

Roscommon minors overcame Leitrim in the second round of the Connacht Championship played last Saturday at Strokestown.

The Roscommon girls averaged a score every two minutes and could well have scored another four goals.

Fittingly, then, it was Aishling McAuliffe who got the scoreboard ticking for the primrose and blue after five minutes when, after collecting a long Leitrim kick out, she raced forward on a trademark raid and tapped over for the opening point. The score settled Roscommon who had missed a number of good chances previous to this. They were playing against a very strong wind and employing an effective sweeper system in Rebecca Coyle but despite this wind disadvantage their forwards simply started to run riot with Kylie Roddy at the heart of every movement.

As the half progressed Kylie Roddy (2), Caoileann Beirne (2), Caroline Gunning (1-3) and Gillian Dufficy (1-3) added to McAulliffe’s opening point and impressively a number of scores resulted from sweeping end-to-end movements. In the 27th minute a movement starting in the full back line with Ciara Brennan moved through six pairs of hands - Laura Fleming (twice), Yvonne Lennon, Rebecca Coyle, Kayleigh Dunning, Bronagh McHugh and Kylie Roddy - before Roddy passed to Caroline Gunning who pointed. Similarly Orla O’Neill took a short pass from Aoife Jones deep in defensive territory before carrying the ball into the Leitrim half and the resulting interchange between Gillian Dufficy and Caroline Gunning saw Gunning score Roscommon’s second goal.

Leitrim to their credit remained dangerous and the excellent Ann Marie Gallagher at centre forward twice brought top class full stretch diving saves from Rochelle Timothy in the Roscommon goal. In Shauna Clancy and Claire Rowley they also had dangerous forwards but the half time score of 2-11 to 1-3 (with Leitrim having had wind advantage) left Leitrim to re-organise at half time with mainly pride at stake.

The scoring machine churned on with points from Ciara M. Flynn, Kayleigh Dunning (an excellent long range effort), Gillian Dufficy (6), Caoileann Beirne (3, including one long distance shot on the run at pace), Caroline Gunning (4) with subs Aishling Hanley and Triona Kelly adding one each. Along the way Grainne O’Malley and Shauna Clancy responded for Leitrim with 1-1.